Flower-holder.



'No. 720,132. PAT-ENTED FEB. 10, 1903.

' I. w. GREEN. FLOWER HOLDER;

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 28, 1902.

am MODEL.

- I I P4270155). Greer:

' A TTOHNEXS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS WV. GREEN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

FLOWER-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent Ifl'o. 720,132, datedFebruary 10, 1903.

Application filed November 28,1902. Serial No. 133,088. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, FRANoIs W, GREEN, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFlower-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to flower-holders designed to support a number offlowers or sprays in a vase or other suitable receptacle.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, cheap, and convenientdevice whereby a number of flowers or sprays may be firmly held orsupported individually therein and in any desired relation ordisposition to one another.

To this end my invention consists of a frame or plate adapted to restsecurely over the mouth of a vase or other receptacle and provided witha multiplicity of hollow conical spring-holders open from end to end andhaving their axes disposed in substantially vertical lines.

In carrying out my invention I prefer to construct the individualconical or tapered holder from sheet metal made up into the form of aconical tube which has its smaller end at the bottom and its larger atthe top, and which is suitably slit or cut at its smaller end, so as toafford a spring-clip for firmly grasping the stem of the flower orspray, while at the same time permitting said stem to be inserted andadjusted to any desired height. I also prefer to make the frame of thedevice from a number of strips of metal suitably secured together in theproper form and having perforations or openings in which the hollowcomically-shaped tubes are insert-- ed and properly fastened. I do not,however, limit myself to the use of metal or to the use of strips, sincethe frame might be made of a single plate of suitable material, such assheet metal, which, if desired, may be plated or have other" ornamentalfinish.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of thedevice, showing the same applied over the mouth of the vase. Fig. 2 is aplan. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one of the individualconically-shaped springholders. Fig. 4: is a vertical section throughthe same, showing the manner in which the individual holder is supportedin the frame; and Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical section through thecenter of the frame, showing the preferred manner of securing the partsthereof together when the same is made of a number of strips. Fig. 6shows a modification in the end of the bars forming the frame to adaptthe same to receptacles of different sizes.

1 indicates strips or pieces of metal of any desired number, which crossone another at any desired point or points. Preferably they are arrangedto cross one another at a common point or center, as shown, and arethere secured together by a rivet 2 or other device, which rivet ispreferably hollow to permita conical holder to be inserted in the frameat the central point or other point of crossing. The ends of the stripsare preferably curved downwardly to provide ears or stops that willprevent the frame from being displaced when applied over the mouth ofthe receptacle, so that it may rest securely in position by beingsupported on the edges of the mouth of said receptacle. The frame madeup as thus described or in any other suitable manner is provided withany desired number of individual spring-holders 5. Each of theseholders, as shown, is tapered or of conical shape and is opened from endto end. Each one tapers, preferably, downwardly, so as to provide alarge mouth, into which the stem of the flower or spray may be easilyinserted.

These conical holders are preferably made of sheet met-a1 formed up intothe shape shown, and each is provided with a lip or flange 6, asindicated, to adapt it to be firmly supported in an opening orperforation provided in the frame. Each said tube is also slit from thebottom a suitable distance upwardly, so that it may grasp the stem by aspring action, while, nevertheless, allowing the stem to be inserted toany desired extent and to hold it in the desired adjusted position.These holders may be securely fastened in the frame by soldering the lipor flange 6, or, if desired, the gage of the perforation in the framemay be made slightly smaller than the gage of the tube, and the lattermay be forced into place and be firmly held by friction or by the graspof the metal of the frame, which is forcibly displaced in the operationof forcing the holder down to bring the lip or flange 6 against theupper surface of said frame. As will be obvious, the stems of the spraysor flowers may be inserted and forced downward through the conicalholder until the head of the flower or spray is at the desired positionin the holder and so that a number of flowers or sprays may beartistically disposed or arranged with relation to one another as maysuit the individual taste of the user. Also it will be seen that theflowers or sprays may be removed readily when desired and replaced byothers.

While I have described the use of individual conical springflower-holders made of sheet metal, I do not limit myself to the same,but may use any form or kind of material which will provide a taperingor conical tubularshaped holder opened from end to end and adapted tograsp the stem of the flower by a spring-pressure, while allowing thesame to be forced through it to any desired extent, nor do I limitmyself to the use of metal as the material for any of the parts of thedevice.

The end of each of the several strips or bars of which the frame isconstructed is made so as to be expansible and contractible byconstructing it as shown in Fig. 6. The end portion of the bar whichcarries the ear or projection which comes down over the side of thereceptacle is telescopically connected with the main portion of the bar.This may be effected by turning over the edge of the bar, as indicatedat S, to form a socket in which the end section 9 of the bar may slidefrictionally. The end section 9 consists, preferably, of a bent piece ofwire the loop of which is bent down to form the lug or ear, while thetwo free ends slide in the sockets at 8.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. The improved flower-holder hereindescribed comprising a frame adapted to rest over the mouth of a vase orother receptacle and provided with a number of vertically-disposedtapering spring flower-holders open at both ends, as and for the purposedescribed.

2. The improved flower-holder consisting of a frame adapted to rest overthe mouth of a vase or other receptacle provided with lugs or ears toprevent lateral displacement, and with conical sheet-metal tubes open atboth ends and tapering downwardly each said tube being slit or cutlongitudinally at its lower end, as and for the purpose described.

3. The improved flower-holder comprising a frame or support adapted torest upon the mouth of a vase or other receptacle and having a number oftapering spring-tubes open at both ends and each having a lip or flange6 adapted to support the tube in an opening in said frame.

4. A frame or support adapted to rest upon the mouth of a vase or otherreceptacle and,

provided with a number of spring flowerholders and with ears or lugstelescopically connected with said frame or support, as and for thepurpose described.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,this 26th day of November, A. D. 1902.

FRANCIS W. GREEN.

Vitnesses:

J. GALLWITZ, E. L. LAWLER.

